Index card and method of preparing same



Sept. 5, 1933. w, $|BLEY 1,925,343

INDEX CARD AND METHOD OF PREPARING SAME Original Filed Nov. 23, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Eda/ardWSZ'ZYZ y @Qiww,

Sept. 5, 1933.

E. W. SIBLEY INDEX CARD AND METHOD OF PREPARING SAME Original Filed Nov. 23, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 dew C E a e in 22 2,

1 a, C OWL 5: @3

1%, in Q? 32 Fmg. 6 l

I l h, i X \a 1 3 I l I 3| 33 gwoomto'o Patented Sept. 5, 1933 PATENT OFFICE INDEX CARD AND METHOD OF PREPARING SAME Edward W. Sibley, Kenmore, N. Y. assignor to Remington Rand, Inc., Buffalo, N. Y.

Original application November 23, 1928, Serial No. 321,413. uary 26, .1931.

2 Claims.

This application is a division ofmy co-pending application Serial No. 321,413, filed November 23, 1928. 1

My invention relates to index cards and methods of producing the same and it has particular reference to an index card having a slotted portion for the reception of a similar card in order that a plurality of cards may be assembled in nested visible relation, and to a method whereby such cards may be accurately made and so be caused to nest in aligned relationship.

The various principles, objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from a detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein;

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of two cards disposed in nested relationship.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of a single card made in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a plurality of nested cards assembled in a holding frame.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the assembly shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a transverse cross sectional view of the assembly shown in Fig. 3.

6 is a fragmentary plan view of a sheet of stock partially processed according to the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the sheet with cutting dies disposed adjacent thereto, and

Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of apparatus for processing the cards.

It has heretofore been proposed to manufacture index cards which are visible when nested in assembled relationship, by providing a plurality of rectangular cards, such as referred to by the reference numeral 10 in Fig. 2, which cards are provided with slots 11 defining tongues 12 having a re-entrant portion 13. The manner of nesting the cards is indicated in Fig. 1

. wherein the card 10, shown in Fig. 2, is superimposed upon a bling index cards.

Divided and this application J an- Serial No. 511,372

Heretofore, such cards have been provided with a continuous orstraight line lower edge, a portion of which is indicated in Fig. 2 by the reference numeral 21. In the ordinary manufacture of these cards, it has been found that the distance between the lower extremities of the slots 11 and the edge 21 is a variable; that is to say, the distance indicated by the dimension A plus orminus X varies within rather wide limits. The variation in limits results in the cards mounted upon the frame 16 becoming canted or tilted or mis-aligned so that when a plurality of cards are assembled, extreme difficulty is encountered in holding them in their proper relationship.

The present invention has particular reference to a card so constructed as to avoid this misalignment and to permit of a more rigid interlocking of the cards, and further, the present invention has particular reference to an elficient method by means of which the cards may be so formed as to permit of definite alignment when subsequently assembled. As indicated in Fig. 2, for example, a card made in accordance with the present invention is so constructed as to have a fixed distance A between the lower extremities of the slots 11 and the lower edge 22 of the card 10. This fixed dimension is obtained by providing a plurality of recesses in the lower edge of the card 10, the extremities of which are all definitely spaced from the lower extremities of the slots 11.

When so constructed, a rear card 14 interengages the card 10 at the overlapping tongue portions as shown in Fig. 1, and since the lower recessed edge of the card 14 seats upon the lower extremity of the slot 11, and since the distance between these extremities is constant, the card 14 is accurately aligned upon the card 10 and mis-alignment of a stack of cards is therefore avoided. It will be further noted that longitudinal play of the cards may also be limited by employing recesses 22, the lateral edges 23 of which serve as stops preventing relative longitudinal movement.

A method of making the cards having fixed distances, such as that represented by the character A, is indicated in Figs. 6, '7 and 8. As shown in Fig. 8, a roll of stock, such as paper, of suitable width is unwound from a support 25 as a continuous sheet 26 upon a fixed platen or bed 2''! of a punch 28. The sheet 26 may be aligned on the platen 27 by means of guides 29, but it will be understood that because of the nature of the paper stock, an accurate guiding action, in and of itself sufficient to align the paper, is not read ily obtainable. However, an alignment satisfactory for the present purpose may be so obtained.

Disposed above the platen 27 is a number of cutting dies, including a small rectangular die 31 and two pairs of slot cutting dies 32 and 33, all of which are fixed with respect to each other. These dies are readily secured in a reciprocating member in a manner ,well understood in the art. Disposed between each pair of dies 32 or 33 are two additional dies 34 and 35 which are aligned longitudinally with the die 31 and which are fixedly spaced on their outer faces from the inner edges of the respective dies 32 or 33. It is quite necessary that the outer faces of the dies 34 and 35 be spaced a uniform fixed distance from the inner edges of the dies 32 and 33, for, by reference now to Fig. 6, it Will be seen that these dies cut the sheet to provide the slotted portions 11 and the fixed distances A, which are required for correct alignment. It will, of course, be understood that the distance C intermediate any pair of longitudinal dies need not be held constant and that from a practical standpoint, it is merely sufiicient if a line, drawn from one hole 37 made by the die 31 to the next hole made by the same die, passes through the r cesses formed by the dies 84 and 35.

Along those portions indicated by the character C, the lower edge may have a random distance from a line defining the lower extremities of the recesses 11, but directly beneath the recesses, the distance must be constant.

Having assembled the various dies in the manner indicated, a sheet of material is fed beneath them and all the dies are simultaneously driven through the paper. This operation makes a blank such as shown in the left-hand portion of Fig. 6. The sheet is then moved along the platen 27, the length of a card, and the newly presented section of sheet is stamped in a similar manner. At the same time, the first section of sheet is again out into two portions to form two cards of the character heretofore described. For this purpose, there is provided a pair of knives, one of which, 39, cuts longitudinally between the holes 37 to 38, and through the several holes formed by the dies 34 and 35. A further die 41 cuts the sheet transversely and at substantially right angles through the aperture 38. There is accordingly formed a pair of cards as indicated in the right-hand portion of Fig. 6, each of which will nest in the other and be properly aligned by reason of the fixed distance between the bottom of the slots 11 and the inner edge of the recesses 22.

t will, of course, be understood that various modifications may be made in the herein described embodiment of the invention and that cards of various shapes and intended for various uses may be formed according to the present method.

What is claimed is:

l. A method of manufacturing index cards which comprises feeding a sheet of card material beneath cutting dies, cutting at one operation a pair of aligned holes along the longitudinal center line of the sheet, cutting additional holes in the sheet and along the center line, cutting slots in the sheet at either side of the additional holes, and severing the sheet into two cards by a second operation by cutting the sheet longitudinally along a line extending between and into the aligned holes and also cutting the sheet transversely along a line extending substantially at right angles to the longitudinal center line and through one of the aligned holes.

2. The method of manufacturing index cards which comprises, feeding a strip or" sheet material under a punch and die unit, punching a hole in the strip on the medial line thereof, simultaneously punching slots in the strip at one side of said hole in fixed spaced relation thereto, advancing the punched portion of the strip into a cutting unit and finally cutting such portion on substantially a medial line with the cut terminating in the hole formed therein and simultaneously severing such portion from the remainder of the strip by a transverse out extending through the hole formed therein.

EDWARD W. SIBLEY; 

